Chapter 32
Ihadn’t been to the Sentient Sea in some time.
The moment I stepped out of the car and into the bright sunlight, those warm beams filtered down onto my skin.
Except our trip wasn’t a casual or easy thing, despite the salt-soaked breeze swirling around me, the sky an aching sort of blue.
When we’d left Triton Manor, Ursuline had one stop they wanted to make.
One they’d needed to ever since the meeting with Jason.
We’d made it to the beach, to the sea. We might not be down below in New Atlantis, but this connection to the water mattered.
Breakneck Beach was the place where Ursuline had first saved me, and they’d continued to do so the more we got to know each other. Except I was able to save them too. I’d spent my life feeling useless, like I didn’t matter. Like I’d never be enough for anyone—certainly not my parents.
Yet Ursuline had effortlessly made me feel loved. They’d built me up brick by brick, and I’d begun to discover what I was capable of in the process.
They clutched my hand a little tighter as we headed toward the sand dunes. The sea roared in the distance, the steady thrum of the waves quieting my soul. After facing off against Frederick, this was needed.
My feet hit the sand, the warmed granules a caress, and ahead of me, the water sparkled under the bright midday sun.
A few seagulls circled overhead and cawed, and smatterings of seaweed and shells decorated the shoreline.
In the distance a few krakens swam out in the deep, and some mermaids splashed around, but they kept to themselves.
I found a dry spot farther up and kicked off my shoes, my socks, and rolled up my pants.
Ursuline waited for me, quietly, patiently, though I could feel the unspoken hum of tension coming from them.
At facing the sea.
Together, we walked down the shore, to where the waves rolled up. The first foamy lap of water made me shiver, and I reached out a hand for them, needing the connection. They intertwined their hands with mine for a moment, and we both stared out at the brine before us.
“How does it feel?” I asked. “Being free.”
Ursuline squeezed my hand tighter. “I’m not sure.”
“You can go back to New Atlantis now,” I murmured, even though the thought of them heading somewhere I couldn’t tread caused my chest to squeeze tight.
“What’s left for me there but ruin?” They let go of my hand and waded into the water, just enough that it lapped against their tentacles. Their chest caved in, their head tipped down, and their shoulders began to shake. “He destroyed every last gasp of light down below.”
I took one slow step after another to stand beside them, the waves swilling around my ankles.
Ursuline’s whole body shook, and it wasn’t until I reached their side that I caught the glimmer of tears streaking down their face.
I reached out but hesitated, not sure if this moment was too fragile, as if one touch might shatter it.
I lowered my hand and stood there with them, staring out at the sea, as if it might hold answers. Of why this much pain existed in the world. Of why horrors happened to innocents. Of why the rich and powerful were determined to cause destruction.
The red streaks on a canvas bloomed in my mind, and I itched to paint this agony. To cast it out from my heart, from my soul, and into art that might stand a chance of lasting beyond me.
I wasn’t sure if minutes passed or longer, but Ursuline’s tears slowed. They wiped their eyes, and then they slipped their arm around my shoulders. I leaned in.
“Thank you,” they said.
“You don’t need to thank me for loving you,” I responded softly. The steady thump, thump, thump of their heart mirrored the same flow of the waves to the shore, undulating and constant. It grounded me in the moment, where I was here at the Sentient Sea with the monster I loved.
With the only one who’d ever spoken to my soul.
“I have no need to go back below,” Ursuline murmured and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Once I found sunshine, I never wanted to return to the deep.”
Their words etched into me, and my heart soared.
“So what’s next?” I asked, but whether I referred to today or more, I wasn’t sure.
Ursuline glanced at me with a soft, incandescent smile. “Well, this evening is game night at the Spires, so we couldn’t miss that. Tomorrow, though, I think I’m going to start looking at homes for sale in Peregrine City. What do you say? Want to start a life with me?”
My eyes burned, and my throat tightened. “I can’t wait.”
***
Ursuline had mentioned game nights at the Spires before, but I’d been thinking about the casino itself.
I’d figured it was flash, competition, where Ursuline and their friends all got together and gambled.
But when I stepped into the dining hall on the upper floors where we’d been staying, the realization of what this was descended. This was a family gathering.
Sofia and Cillian chatted with each other at one of the tables, while Gretel and Amelia started to set out the cards for what looked to be a game of Sparks.
Jaffar sat at the other long table, his long black waves pulled back today in a low ponytail.
Mal sat beside him, and his bright purple lipstick and eyeshadow made the black scale accents along his features pop.
Opposite them was a woman with wild brown hair and eyes that almost glowed, along with Charles and Theo, who I’d gotten to know well over our week here.
“Now we can get started,” Amelia said, glancing up to us. “Who’s ready for some Sparks?”
“I’m ready for some food,” Charles said. “Did anyone place the pizza order yet?”
“I have it handled,” Cillian responded. “Food should be here shortly.”
“I’m over playing Sparks,” Mal called out. “When can we bring a different game to the table?”
“Why do you think I sat here?” Jaffar commented with a smirk.
“Come sit down,” Beau offered us, pointing to the spots at their table that were still open. So many of these people had become friends in such a short time. The shift made me realize how few of them I’d had before, how isolated I’d been.
“I’ll always play a few rounds of Sparks,” Ursuline said with a wan smile. They kept their hand on my lower back as they guided me over to the table, and I soaked in every bit of contact I could.
Today had been emotional, life-changing, and a revelation.
And tonight, we could celebrate our freedom with the people who’d helped us earn it.
“Did the Alpha Blue guys give you any difficulty?” I called over to Mal from our table.
Mal let out a bark of a laugh. “They’re underequipped to deal with dragons. I flew off right after the first blast while they floundered.”
“And you delivered the final blow to Triton?” Sofia asked Ursuline.
Ursuline nodded. “Now I’m done with that family for good.”
“Fuck yeah,” Charles called. “Bring out the champagne.”
“Luckily I thought ahead,” Beau said as he pulled a few bottles from a small cooler he had by his chair. “We already planned on celebrating.”
“Tonight is also an official welcome to Elrich,” Gretel said, and heat rose to my cheeks at being acknowledged like that. “We’re happy to have you here.”
Charles let out a hoot, and the wild-haired girl at the other table howled.
My heart thrummed. I’d never found this sort of acceptance before, this warmth.
One of Ursuline’s tentacles wrapped around my thigh and squeezed tight, and a shiver ran down my spine.
This was what I’d spent a lifetime looking for, something I believed I’d never truly find.
The love and support of a partner who understood me better than anyone, who brightened my world, and the warmth and belonging of a family.
“Get on my lap,” Sofia said to Gretel, who arched a brow.
“Ugh, you two are nauseatingly cute,” Amelia grumbled.
“Don’t be jealous, Ames,” Beau teased. “You could find yourself someone if you’d pull away from work once in a while.” Cillian let out a rich, rumbling laugh.
“So, is anyone here good at Sparks?” I asked. I was a mediocre player, but I enjoyed the game.
Charles groaned from the other table. “They’ll all start grandstanding now.”
“Maybe if you were better at Sparks, you’d like it,” Amelia called over.
“Who wants champagne?” Beau asked, and he popped the cork. The hiss echoed through the room.
“Me,” I volunteered, raising my hand. “We’ve got a lot to celebrate.”
Ursuline leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple, the casual motion making my heart careen. “And tonight we’ll continue the celebration.”
Heat roared through me at what we’d discussed before, and already the anticipation rose within me for those private moments later with them, where they’d make me come undone at their hands, their tentacles, their mouth.
But right now, I basked in the moment. We were sitting among friends and celebrating.
No more running, nothing keeping us apart.
No more having my path dictated for me. I was with Ursuline, the one who quieted my soul, who made me feel complete in a way I’d craved my entire life.
And we were with our family, one that would fight to protect each other.
Finally, I could chase the life I’d always dreamed of.